Letter | Dolan Springs special election

Dolan Springs has a special election coming up Nov. 7 for a budget override for Lake Mohave Rancho Fire Department. This is being paid for by the fire department, but at what cost?

Here is the question on the ballot:

Shall the Board of Directors of Lake Mohave Rancho Fire District adopt a Maintenance and Operation Budget that includes a secondary tax levy of $3.50 per $100 of assessed valuation for the fiscal year 2018-19 and four subsequent years as described below?

The fiscal year 2018-19 budget override authority represents an extension and increase of the existing $3.25 budget override authority.

This question is confusing everyone I talk with, no one knows how to take this question.

The way I read this, just the $3.50 override comes to $35 per $1,000 assessed value. Look at this year’s tax bill on your assessed value and do the math. I read the $3.50 override is on top of the $3.25. If this is the way it is that is a substantial raise on our taxes to the fire department.

We are a retirement and welfare community. They say Dolan Springs is dying. Yes, it is for us on a fixed income. With all the taxes and fees, and the wealthy out-of-state people moving here, the small town feeling we have had and can afford will be killed.

Most of the retirees are veterans or family of veterans who fought for a little peace in a small town but we will soon be priced out of our homes. Once a tax is in, it never goes away. It only goes higher.

So if the question on the ballot stays the way it is written, my vote is no.